May Angels Lead you Home
by Hoperise
Summary: AU. Ten years have passed since that fateful football game, where Austin didn't follow after Sam. Now, football star Austin Ames is returning to find the woman he could have loved had married with a child on the way. Just as everything begins to settle..
1. Far Away

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Title: May Angels Lead you Home

Rating: K+ for Character Death, Language

Genre: Drama/Romance

Disclaimer: We do not own A Cinderella Story. Not no way, not no how.

Summary: AU. Ten years have passed since that fateful football game, where Austin didn't follow after Sam. Now, ex-football star Austin Ames is returning to find the woman he could have loved had married- with a child on the way. Just as everything begins to settle down, a tragic death occurs, changing the lives of all involved forever.

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_**Sarah: OH NOSEMINING GOBLINS IT'S THE EDITED VERSION!!**_

_**Jackie: ..nosemining...?**_

_**Sarah: Just so everyone knows what ONG stands for. -nod-**_

---

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

**Song Lyrics**

---

Rain pounded against the windshield of the Ford Ranger as it sped down the interstate. The windshield wipers slipped back and forth across the glass, desperately trying to push away the flood of water. Inside the truck, a large, muscular man sat, one hand on the wheel, one hand supporting his head. He sighed and closed his deep blue eyes for a second, then opened them again. He looked at the clock radio on the dash and sighed. It was 3:14 AM, and he was desperately tired. "What are you doing out here, Austin? You really think you can just come back home after all these years?" the man, Austin Ames, said to himself.

In an effort to keep himself awake, he reached out and switched on the radio. The soft plucking of acoustic guitar strings and a smooth man's voice came on immeadietly. It was a more of a slower song, and Austin was about to change the station when he really heard what was being sung.

**This time, This place**

**Misused, Mistakes**

**Too long, Too late**

**Who was I to make you wait?**

What was this? A song, or a message? Austin listened to the song and began to nod his head in time to the music, patting the steering wheel. As if entranced, his wandering hand moved back to the wheel. He _had_ to find out what happened next.

**Just one chance**

**Just one breath**

**Just in case there's just one left**

**'Cause you know,**

**you know, you know**

It was a soothing song, and Austin had to force himself to stay awake to listen to it. But.. he had to learn. Who was this girl to the singer? What would... what would happen to them? Would she forgive him for.. making her wait so long?

**That I love you**

**I have loved you all along**

**And I miss you**

**Been far away for far too long**

**I keep dreaming you'll be with me**

**and you'll never go**

**Stop breathing if**

**I don't see you anymore**

His breath caught in his throat. This was his story. "So far away.." he said to himself, shaking his head and sighing. Why? Why had he been such a fool?

**On my knees, I'll ask**

**Last chance for one last dance**

**'Cause with you, I'd withstand**

**All of hell to hold your hand**

**I'd give it all**

**I'd give for us**

**Give anything but I won't give up**

**'Cause you know,**

**you know, you know**

Memories flashed through his head as he remembered that night, when he'd danced with the girl he truly believed was the one. "Sam.." he murmured to the empty air, almost expecting that he would hear her reply.. almost begging it to reply in her sweet voice.

**That I love you**

**I have loved you all along**

**And I miss you**

**Been far away for far too long**

**I keep dreaming you'll be with me**

**and you'll never go**

**Stop breathing if**

**I don't see you anymore**

Her picture flew into his mind, exactly as she had looked at the Hallowe'en dance, the homecoming football game, and when he'd last seen her, staring at him as he drove away from North Valley High, off to pack for college... at USC. The image of her crying, seventeen-year-old form kept him awake at night, every night. She was the reason he had never been with any of the girls who practically threw themselves in his lap. He couldn't do that, not to Sam. Not to his Princetongirl.

**So far away**

**Been far away for far too long**

**So far away**

**Been far away for far too long**

**But you know, you know, you know**

Austin couldn't help but wonder what could have happened if he had followed his gut and gone after Sam when she left the stadium that day, many, many years ago. Would they have ended up together? Would he had even had the accident that left him nearly crippled? This he pondered as he turned onto the exit that would bring him back into the San Fernando valley, back home.

**I wanted**

**I wanted you to stay**

**'Cause I needed**

**I need to hear you say**

**That "I love you,**

**I have loved you all along.**

**And I forgive you**

**For being away for far too long."**

He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. No more was it in a crew cut like he'd had it in high school. It was still short, yes, but he'd let it grow a good two inches longer. "I can't believe it's been ten years.." he said to himself, listening to the man on the radio. "Why did I let it sit so long? Why did I let her go?" Absently, he thumped his head against the chilled window. As if to punish himself for his stupidity- as if that would be enough to cover his regrets.

**So keep breathing**

**'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore**

**Believe it**

**Hold on to me and, never let me go**

**Keep breathing**

**'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore**

**Believe it**

Austin sighed. Everything in his life had gone according to plan... that is, his father's plan. He'd won the homecoming game and gone off to play college ball. After college, he joined a professional football team, but when a knee injury ended that career, he'd decided to come back to the only place he could go.. back home, to his dad. Where he would spend the rest of his days managing a car wash. Now that was a life worth looking forwards to.

**Hold on to me and, never let me go**

**Keep breathing**

**Hold on to me and, never let me go**

**Keep breathing**

**Hold on to me and, never let me go...**

He punched the seat. "I wanted to be a writer, dammit, not an athlete." Austin frowned. Why couldn't he have just supported Sam in front of the crowd during that pep rally? Why hadn't he gone after her at the football game? Why hadn't he come back earlier? If he'd done any of that... perhaps he could have done what he wanted, gone to Princeton, become a writer, and spend his days with the girl of his dreams.

Maybe... just maybe, she would forgive him. And perhaps... even love him back?

Austin sighed and shook his head to clear it of sleep as he pulled up in front of his house. "Been far away.. for far too long." he mused, slowly limping up the sidewalk and knocking on the door.

---

_**Sarah: So, not too far altered, but definitely edited for errors and length and good stuff like that!**_

_**Jackie: Namely the errors... Austin went to USC, not UCLA. That was my seventh grade math teacher.**_

_**Sarah: Didn't you first conceive this fic in seventh grade?**_

_**Jackie: Erm... yes...**_

_**Sarah: That means... ONG WE LET IT SIT FOR LIKE THREE YEARS!!! O.O**_

_**Jackie: And accumulated like fifty reviews in that time! O.O**_

_**Sarah: WE'RE NOT WORTHY! -crumples-**_

_**Jackie: Umm... yeah. This edit is mainly to let you readers know that we are thinking of this fic, and work on the second chapter is very much underway!!**_

_**Sarah: It's just hard to do a songfic for every chapter.. need to work on the muzak skills. I still don't like the song we agreed on... -speaks from floor-**_

_**Jackie: This AN is becoming ridiculous and also whiny. It's time to shut up and get back to work.**_

_**Sarah: What? Oh...**_

_**Jackie: Say 'bye-bye' to the nice peoples! Who don't... plot.. our deaths... gruesome deaths... whilst we sleep... o.o**_

_**Sarah: Bye nice peoples! ;.;**_


	2. On My Own

Author: Dark-Angels-Tears

Title: May Angels Lead you Home

Rating: K+ for Character Death, Language

Genre: Drama/Romance

Disclaimer: We do not own A Cinderella Story. Not no way, not no how.

Summary: AU. Ten years have passed since that fateful football game, where Austin didn't follow after Sam. Now, ex-football star Austin Ames is returning to find the woman he could have loved had married- with a child on the way. Just as everything begins to settle down, a tragic death occurs, changing the lives of all involved forever.

---

****

Jackie: Back by popular demand; this fic! I'd like to take a moment to read off the statistic for the story, as of Dec. 9. Reviews: **_47_****_ Hits: 2794 Favourites: _****_16_****_ Alerts: _****_48_**** **

Sarah: Galumphing gargoyles, Batman! That's a lot!

Jackie: Yeah. And that was the inspiration to finish this chapter. Thank you all so much!

Sarah: Enjoy the chappie! n.n

---

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

Song Lyrics 

---

Chapter Two:

On My Own

---

Minutes passed slowly, and Austin leaned against the doorway tiredly. He hadn't exactly expected the door to fly open the second his knuckles touched the door, as it was nearing four in the morning. But finally, the door swung open, and the lined face of his father appeared. "Austin? Is that you?" He asked, squinting into the dark night.

Austin let out a sigh and straightened, smiling blankly. "Yeah, Dad. It's me." He tried not to dwell on how much he hated having to come back here, how many bad memories this place held. Tried not to think how sad the house looked- no, how everything looked, without Sam.

I walk alone;

Think of how memories of long ago.

No one knows I lost,

My soul long ago.

He brightened. "It's good to see you, son. Come on in!" He stepped to the side and grabbed the younger man's arm, pulling him inside gently. "What kept you? You know that it's four AM, right?"

Nodding slowly, he took in the interior of his old house with surprise. Posters of his team lined the wall, as well as the old pictures of his high school team, the Fighting Frogs. Pictures of him when he was younger, and as he progressed through school.

"Where d'you want to sleep tonight? You could rack out on the couch or head to your room. I think your bed's still made up from last time, but there are blankets in the hall closet."

He nodded, acknowledging this. "I- yeah, okay. I think I'll be fine." He turned and limped off into his bedroom, but paused before he reached the doorway. Looking back over his shoulder, Austin called out, "Dad?"

The man looked up expectantly.

"I... it's good to see you too." Austin said with a half-smile.

Lie too much;

She said that she's had enough.

Am I too much?

She said that she's had enough.

Sleep that night was troubled for the man, as it had been every night. He feel asleep as his head hit the pillow, but a mere three hours later he awoke with a start. He'd dreamt of the day he left, driving off into the distance while Sam and his entire world crumbled behind him.

The very same dream he'd dreamt for ten years.

Shaking it off, he sat up with a wince and sat of the edge of the bed. Stiff knee protesting at the sudden movement, Austin firmly rubbed it with the side of his palm for a few minutes before standing up. By the not-so-quiet snoring coming from his father's room he knew that the man was still asleep and would probably still be for a while- and besides that, he wanted to go out and explore.

He gingerly limped over to his dresser and pulled from its drawers a soft white t-shirt and a pair of worn black jeans. They were a little snug, as he had gained a good deal of muscle in his years in the NFL, but not uncomfortably so. It did not take long for the man to dress and groom himself. Austin jotted down a quick note and taped it to his door, then headed out.

Standing on my own,

Remembering the one I left at home.

Forget about the life I used to know,

Forget about the one I left at home.

It was a fine morning and after retrieving his cherrywood cane from the truck, Austin decided that he would walk in order to better take in the sights and loosen his knee. He headed down the street rather slowly, with an almost wistful expression on his face. As he walked, memories came rushing back at him; memories of his old life here. Many were them were warm and happy, but many more were filled with pain and strife. Austin forced them all away in order to keep his head and viewed the town as would an outsider.

Many of the old buildings he used to frequent had been torn down and replaced with newer, fancier buildings. This stung slightly... yet it helped add to his outsider mentality.

With every step he took he tried to prepare himself for where he knew his feet were leading him, but in the end nothing could prepare him for seeing Fiona's Diner.

Or rather... Hal's Diner?

I need to run far away,

Can't go back to that place.

Like she told me, I'm

Just a big disgrace

It took him a moment to realize that this was the old name of the diner. That thought brought to mind some very interesting possibilities, all of which started his mind screaming at him to turn around, to head back to the house. He couldn't, just could NOT face Sam. Not after all this time.

It was the only logical choice to go back and forget this ever happened. To head back down to Los Angeles and stay with his friends, to go back to New York and take the job offered to him there, to go anywhere but inside the small building and confront the girl he had once betrayed. His mind flashed briefly back to the scene she had made in the locker room years ago and firmly decided that he would have to head back.

Lie too much;

She said that she's had enough.

Am I too much?

She said that she'd had enough.

Then Austin discovered that he was standing in the doorway, pushing the clear glass open and moving inside.

Things certainly had changed. The diner had been restored to the same way it had been when he was about seven or eight, but though he saw some new faces wearing the buttercup yellow uniforms, it was mainly the old crowd. He dropped his eyes to the ground as a plump woman with curly silver hair gave him a cold stare.

Feeling awkward and out of place, the blond man again told himself that he should go back, but his body moved on its own as he walked further in to the small diner. But suddenly, a familiar feminine voice shocked him out of these thoughts and caused his head to turn towards it.

Standing on my own,

Remembering the one I left at home.

Forget about the life I used to know,

Forget about the one I left at home.

"Austin Ames? Is that you?" A woman with streaked brown hair said in a coy voice.

Austin stifled a groan and said to his ex-girlfriend in a neutral voice, "Hello, Shelby."

Shelby was sitting in a booth with a dark-haired man that he realized after a moment was his old friend David. They were sitting quite close together; she smiling at him in her familiar (manipulative) way, he giving him an interested look.

"Come! Sit, sit, sit! I haven't seen you in ten years; let's catch up!" She insisted, patting the seat beside her.

He stood there a moment looking down at the two people he'd spent the most of his time with in high school -dammit- and hesitated. "I'm actually looking for someone..."

So, now I'm standing here alone;

I'm learning how to live life on my own.

"They can wait. Come on, you wouldn't turn down an old friend!" Shelby said flightily, standing up and grabbing his hand, then pulling him down to sit on her other side.

The sudden sideways jerk caused a spasm of pain to run through his bad leg, but he hid it well. Austin plopped down and leant his cane next to his leg, nodding a greeting to the table's other occupant. "What's up, David?"

The dark-haired man gave him a sharp stare and nodded coldly back. "Not much."

Breaking the awkward moment, Shelby began to quiz him on his life in the spotlight with the same slightly malicious enthusiasm she always had. He did his best to answer her questions, but Austin was focusing on scanning the diner. So far, no Sam.

His stomach was sinking to somewhere in his shoes. This was a mistake... he should not have come back. After all he had done... he could not come back this easily.

Lie too much;

I think that I've had enough.

Am I too much?

She said that she's had enough.

Austin was about to end the conversation and head out when suddenly, a short, dark lady approached the table.

"What can I get for you, _sir?_" Rhonda said. The years had been fairly gentle to the black woman. The only sign that she had entered her forties was an occasional gray streak in her tightly pulled back hair. The fierce glint in her eyes had not faded; in fact, it had sharpened and all the anger she was capable of was firmly directed at Austin.

"Umm... just a cup of coffee, please?" He said quietly, showing as much respect as he could. There was no way he wanted that evil eye to linger.

She narrowed her eyes at him, scribbling something down on her pad. "Alright then. Are you gonna stay for this one, or will I have to chase it out after you and throw it at your car?" Rhonda sneered.

Austin stood up meekly, raising his hands in defense. "Hey, I don't want any trouble. I just came back to-"

"You shouldn't have come back at all!" She snapped angrily.

I'm standing on my own,

Remembering the one I left at home

"I'm beginning to realize that." He said quietly, almost bitterly. For only a moment he allowed himself to fall back into memories, for only a moment brief flashes of emotion passed across his gray-blue eyes.

This threw Rhonda for a moment, but she drew herself back up and continued on, full force. "You can't just waltz back in through those doors pretending nothing ever happened and expect to be able to pick right up where you left off! Things have changed! People are trying to get on with their lives! You have no right!"

Austin's stomach fell through the floor at this. Vaguely he heard Shelby trying to defend him, saying something about him having just as much a right to be here as she did, but he wasn't paying attention. He was trying to prepare himself to walk out the door and leave this all behind.

Forget about the life I used to know,

Forget about the one I left at home.

And then it happened.

A voice, as pure and true as an angels, sounded out and broke through the fight. It was sweet and so very familiar it tugged at Austin's hardened heart. "Is there a problem here?" The voice asked simply and slowly, knowingly, the man turned to face the speaker.

She was, if it were possible, even more beautiful. Her face was almost glowing with health, long silky blonde hair stretching down her back. Her terran eyes widened slightly in shock and recognition, and at the same moment his own did with sorrow and regret.

His mouth opened to call her name, and it was at that second that he noticed two horrific, heartbreaking things.

On her left ring finger was a small, golden band, and her stomach held a large, telltale bump.

"Sam..." The man whispered brokenly.

So, now I'm standing here alone.

I'm learning how to life life on my own.

Forget about the past I'll never know,

Forget about the one I left at home...

---

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Jackie: We do love you for the reviews.. but a new chapter means a new cliffie.

Sarah: GACK! -dangles-

Jackie: Mwahaha! Happy Holidays, everyone!


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